44 THE TREE BOOK 



No matter how far the tree may be in the depth 

 of the forest, they never fail to scent its white- 

 clover fragrance and go humming after its 

 nectar. Honey made from the linden is nearly 

 equal to that made from wild clover. Besides 

 the nectar in its flowers, the linden provides an- 

 other feast for the bees. This is a sweet juice, 

 called honey-dew, which exudes from the lower 

 surface of the leaf. Just how and why this is 

 formed is one of Nature's mysteries. Some- 

 times it gathers where little pricks have been 

 made in the leaf -skin by insects, again it , is 

 found where none of these little pests have been 

 at work. Sometimes the honey-dew runs so 

 freely that it drips from branch to branch. 

 Usually, however, it dries on the leaf surfaces 

 and coats them with a sticky film, making an 

 ideal place for molds and mildew to get a foot- 

 hold later.^ 



While the lindens hum with bees, the flies are 

 busy feasting on the ill-smelling chestnut bloom. 

 They fairly revel in the long, creamy spines of 

 the staminate blossoms, dusting themselves 

 over and over with pollen. Then they slip 

 away with their precious load to the short cat- 



1 Many other trees besides the linden yield honey-dew. The 

 oaks are specially prone to it. In tropical countries, orange, 

 lemon, and coffee trees have a tendency toward it, which often 

 works serious injury. 



